Love don't roam
by PirategirlRobin
Summary: Rose and the Doctor tiptoed around each other since they arrived together in the parallel world two weeks ago. But then the Doctor hears a familiar song and he realizes that he needs her desperately.


**_Note: The lyrics of 'Love don't roam' I used in this fic belong to Murray Gold. Thanks to LostInWho for beta reading :)_**

_Well, I've roamed about this Earth  
With just a suitcase in my hand,  
And I've met some bog-eyed Joe's,  
I've met the blessed, I've met the damned.  
But of all the strange, strange creatures  
In the air, at sea, on land,  
Oh, my girl, my girl, my precious girl,  
I love you, you understand. _

He freezes when the first notes of the song sound through the room. The bottles of beer he just bought nearly slip through his trembling fingers as panic paralyzes his body and he forgets how to breathe.

When the low voice of the singer joins the instruments, he has to close his eyes against the sudden rush of emotions and unwanted memories.

_So, reel me in, my precious girl,  
Come on, take me home.  
'Cause my body's tired of traveling  
And my heart don't wish to roam. No, no. _

It's a fascinating thing, the human brain, especially its capability to bring back long buried memories and feelings by some simple trigger. You just need a specific smell, a picture or in this case a song that is related to your memory, and it's like you are experiencing the whole situation all over again.

The Doctor feels like he is back at Donna's wedding reception, so soon after having to say goodbye to the woman he loves one last time. He feels terribly alone despite all the people surrounding him, who are celebrating and dancing and who are just _happy_ and unaware of his loss. All he wants to do is run, run from the memories and the pain and these people so he can find a quiet place to mourn. But he knows he can't and it makes him want to scream and cry until he feels no more.

_I have wandered, I have rambled  
I have crossed this crowded sphere,  
And I've seen a mass of problems  
That I long to disappear.  
Now, all I have's this anguished heart,  
For you have vanished too.  
Oh, my girl, my girl, my precious girl,  
Just what is this man to do?  
_

A bump on his shoulder brings him finally back to reality. He blinks, confused for a few seconds, and looks around. He is still in the crowded bar, two bottles of beer in his hands, one for him and one for Rose, who is waiting for him at the table in the corner of the room. His view is beginning to blur, and he remembers he needs to breathe. Right, this half human body comes without a handy respiratory bypass system.

He quickly crosses the room, places the beer on the table and slides into the bench next to Rose. She looks at him, concern written all over her face.

"Are you alright? You're white as a sheet. What ha- "

Before she has the chance to finish her sentence, the Doctor puts his arms around her shoulders and presses his lips to hers for a desperate kiss. She is stiff for a second since she wasn't expecting this. They haven't really done this before, except for the kiss on that bloody beach in Norway two weeks ago.

They had tiptoed around each other since then, both unsure of their relationship and trying to get comfortable with this strange situation they had been thrown into without warning. Rose was struggling to accept him as the Doctor (although she _knew_, right from the beginning, that he was still him, but in some cases you just need some time before you realize the obvious) and the Doctor was struggling with his new half human body, the loss of his TARDIS and the prospect of a linear life on the slow path. He knew Rose needed some time, so they were taking things slow; he tried not to push her or start something she wasn't ready for.

But right now he needs her desperately. He needs to feel her warm body close to his, and he prays to all gods he knows and doesn't believe in that she can give him what he needs so much to survive.

_So, reel me in, my precious girl,  
Come on, take me home.  
'Cause my body's tired of traveling  
And my heart don't wish to roam._

Yeah, reel me in, my precious girl,  
Come on, take me home.  
'Cause my body's tired of traveling  
And my heart don't wish to roam. No, no.

When she doesn't respond at first he feels panic rise in his stomach, fearing that he mucked everything up with his unwanted affections. He wants to draw back, but oh, OH, she is finally kissing him back.

Her lips move against his own, soft and warm and wet, and her body presses closer, her hand resting on his chest right above his rapidly beating heart. Rose lets her tongue trail along his bottom lip. He opens his mouth with a groan in response, and he knows he is lost and there is no way he can live without this anymore. He feels his blood rush south when Rose nips at his bottom lip before she slides her tongue into his mouth and buries her hands in his hair. It's frantic and messy but he doesn't care because it is just perfect.

_Well, you took me in, you stole my heart,  
I cannot roam no more.  
Because love, it stays within you,  
It does not wash up on a shore.  
But a fighting man forgets each cut  
Each knock, each bruise, each fall,  
But a fighting man cannot forget  
Why his love don't roam no more. _

The Doctor finally breaks the kiss when the need to breathe gets overwhelming. He looks down at Rose, who is panting for air as well, with flushed cheeks and red lips. A grin slowly spreads on her face.

"What was that about?"

The Doctor needs the sound of her soft voice to fully comprehend what has just happened. He kissed her. He, the Doctor, kissed Rose Tyler.

"I... I'm..." he stammers, unable to form a full sentence after what they have just experienced. He takes a deep breath and tries to get his heart rate under control, suddenly uncertain despite her eager response to his kiss.

"Rose, is this alright?"

He needs her confirmation that he is not alone with his feelings and his desires and that they can do this again and again for the rest of their lives. He wonders briefly if Rose is aware of the power she has over him. Her answer could make him the happiest man in this universe or leave him in pieces he will never be able to put back together. But then she pulls his head back down for another kiss, and any rational thought leaves his head. It is different this time, not desperate but soft and slow and full of promises.

"Of course it is," she whispers against his lips when they part again. He pulls back enough to look into her warm brown eyes and smiles. He is definitely the happiest man in this universe. Probably even in any universe.

_Oh, reel me in, my precious girl,  
Come on, take me home.  
'Cause my body's tired of traveling  
And my heart don't wish to roam._

_Yeah, reel me in, my precious girl,_  
_Come on, take me home._  
_'Cause my body's tired of traveling_  
_And my heart don't wish to roam._

_Yeah, walk with me, my love, my love,_  
_Walk tall, walk proud, walk far,_  
_For you know my love, you are, you are,_  
_You are my shining star._

_Walk with me, oh my love,_  
_Walk tall, walk proud, walk far._  
_For you know my love, you are, you are,_  
_You are my shining star, you are, you are._  
_Yeah!_

_Reel me in, my precious girl,_  
_Come on, take me home._  
_My body's tired of traveling_  
_And my heart don't wish to roam._


End file.
